Feral Cattle A Nuisance In A California National Monument

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Feral cattle in one of California’s newest national monuments have become a nuisance to hikers and local vegetation.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports a herd of at least 150 feral bulls are ripping through Sand to Snow National Monument, devouring native plants and scaring people.

Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep board member Terry Anderson says the bulls also can transmit disease to native bighorn sheep.

A pack of pit bulls also has been killing and eating wild cattle in this nature sanctuary.

The conflicts have become a local crisis not just because of the wild cattle and dogs, but also because the number of visitors and hikers in the Mojave Preserve and Sand to Snow National Monument has increased since it received federal designation in 2016.